Lufthansa New Allegris First Class Review (A350-900 Munich to Bangalore)

Flight Details:

Airline: Lufthansa, LH

Aircraft: Airbus A350-900

Aircraft registration: D-AIXW

Route: Munich - Bangalore

Flight number: LH764

Seat: 1A

Watch my full YouTube video review below:

Recently, I was one of the first people in the world to experience Lufthansa's brand-new Allegris First Class! On this nine-hour flight, I put everything to the test for one of the biggest upgrades to the European aviation industry in years.

I've been reviewing airlines for over a decade, and I've been lucky to fly every major European first class. As usual, my flight is entirely self-funded with no involvement from Lufthansa whatsoever, so I can share my brutally honest take on the Allegris first class experience. I used to be the biggest Lufthansa fanboy as a teenager and then in the past few years, I've become more of a Lufthansa hater. So I guess with this flight, I'm re-entering my fan era, at least in First Class.

SEAT

The seat map is one of my favorite places to start. Lufthansa's latest Airbus A350 comes in a four-class configuration.

In this layout, there are 201 Economy Class seats arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration. There are 24 Premium Economy seats in a noteworthy 2-3-2 layout compared to the more common 2-4-2 layout most airlines have in their A350 Premium Economy.

In Business Class, the number one product I am dying to try, there are 38 seats to be exact. These are split into two lots of 18 seats (with a galley in the middle) with the middle row alternating between one throne seat and two in the next row.

And then at the very front, in First Class, there is a single row with three to four seats. You might be wondering what I mean by three to four. The middle can be used either by a single passenger or by two people flying together. This concept has been extremely controversial but it basically means there is a mega-suite in the middle, which Lufthansa upcharges.

If you take a close look at the First Class cabin you can see the actual best seat and deal for a solo traveler is sitting in 1K on the right side of the cabin. That's because you have the entire aisle to yourself while my seat, 1A, shares the aisle with the center suite.

Now let’s talk a little bit more about that controversial First Class ‘middle seat’. Why has this been so contentious? Well, there are actually technically two seats. There are two sets of seatbelts so this seat is made either for one person to enjoy or for two people, which would be a couple because you wouldn't want to be sitting there with a stranger.

Lufthansa A350 Allegris First Class Center Seat

I need to say that if you're traveling alone and you get this seat, it is the best seat in this cabin by far because it is absolutely massive. And by the way, I believe based on having sat in there, it is now the biggest first class seat on offer. I also want to add that the noise level is noticeably lower in this middle seat than in the window seat.

Now, to get to the thing that is controversial about this layout. The seat is definitely spacious enough for two people but the seat is clearly only made for one person for a number of reasons. If you look around, there's one power port, not two, there is one entertainment screen, which is wild because that means you both have to agree on what you want to watch and be watching at the same time. Then there's also no armrests in the middle so if someone wants to sit and work, that could be a challenge as well. There's also, by the looks of it, only one tray table, which is really confusing me because what if one wants to work and one wants to sleep? And lastly, there's not the same amount of storage per person as you'd have in the solo seats by the windows.

Things get even more confusing when you factor in the bizarre pricing of this center seat.

At the time of the launch of Lufthansa Allegris First Class, Lufthansa actually wants to charge a premium for people to sit in the middle. Instead, what I think they should do, what they're probably going to end up doing, is offer a couple's deal. So if you book two tickets in Allegris First Class, you get a discount.

At the moment there's no reason anyone should choose to sit in the middle and be restricted by someone sitting blocking the aisle or only having one screen or only having one charging port, one closet, not enough space for all your bags etc, and then pay a premium for it.

It's an amazing seat for one person, but for two, there needs to be an attractive deal.

FOOD

When I first arrive on board, the crew insists I have some champagne but doctor's orders say not for me at the moment, so instead I indulge in water (😂) and the best pre-departure snack of Kalamata Olives and Macadamia Nuts.

The menu on my flight is clearly heavily influenced by our destination, India, today, which is great because I love Indian food.

One thing you can’t say about Lufthansa is that they under-cater! The size of the meals on this flight was huge and left me feeling like I could barely move.

*My Lufthansa First Class appetizers - the top three are from the menu and the bottom three are from my special meal.*

*My main course - a vegan Indian curry.*

The pre-landing meal started with these two appetizers.

My main course was a plant-based moussaka with non-dairy bechamel and soy mince and I have to say it wasn’t bad! It sure was better than my ‘meal-deal wrap’ that La Premiere served me…

The crew also insisted on showing me the famous Lufthansa's caviar service with champagne and even though I couldn't eat it - it looked fantastic!

I have to say the quality of the meals on offer is mixed but overall they were pretty tasty and a range of solid options on offer for everyone.

The beverage list maybe isn't my cup of tea, because I’m not a big fan of alcohol so I would love to see some of their awesome non-alcoholic drinks from their Lufthansa lounge make their way on board, like ginger beer and kombucha.

A special mention for the tray tables that can shoot all the way away, so I can easily leave and use the bathroom. This is how adjustable all tables should be so you can easily move around and be free.

SEAT FEATURES

First of all, there is a massive ottoman that doubles as a buddy seat with an adjustable backrest, if you want to dine with someone else. It also doubles as your storage because when you raise it up it can fit even the biggest of carry-ons.

Above that on the side, we have a closet where you can hang jackets plus it offers a full-size mirror, which is pretty great, right?

Further back on my right, we have a not-so-functional tablet and then we have seat controls, a lamp, some more storage, and charging with a power port, a 60-watt USB C port, and wireless. I also love that they kept their iconic red rose as well.

The seat also has little doors for privacy but I don’t know if I would really call them ‘doors’. It's basically fabric that reminds me kind of a KLM's business class door, but it does make it very private.

Now let’s talk about the bed. The seat itself is 90cm wide which is the same as a standard single bed. In terms of the first class beds I've been lucky to experience, I don't think I ever recall being in one that's this wide for just one seat. I should mention that the bed is definitely more Asian-style firmness than European-style, far more firm than Lufthansa's previous bed.

The whole thing is comfortable with the door and so private. I'm sad because I know I won't be able to fly this again any time soon.

AMENITIES

First of all, they have the best slippers in the sky period.

The amenity kit is a limited edition collectible for the Allegris launch which makes my avgeek heart melt. The contents are as great as you'd expect in Lufthansa First Class, with high-end beauty brand Augustine Bader supplying the skincare. A lovely touch was also a Lufthansa guidebook for my destination, Bangalore.

Unfortunately, the gorgeous Sho Shibuya pajamas making the rounds on social media weren’t yet available on my flight but I’m still pretty happy with the Porsche Design ones I was given which are still comfortable.

*The new Sho Shibuya Pyjamas for Lufthansa. Credit: Lufthansa*

We are now officially in 2025 because this is the first time an airline has ever given me wireless headphones. The Sennheiser headphones are incredibly premium and so exciting. Note that these are not yours to keep as much as I wish they were. This also means they have Bluetooth audio so you could also connect your AirPods or whatever wireless headphones you have directly to the entertainment screen.

Lufthansa has also one-upped Emirates when it comes to in-flight exterior cameras on the A350. To think some airlines opted not to install a single camera on their A350s as a cost-saving method and here we have Lufthansa with five? The world really is upside down right now.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the rest of the tech, there are some technical challenges, shall we say. The 40-inch screen is touch responsive, but it's too far away to reach, so you need to use this tablet, except the tablet doesn't actually control everything on the screen.

For example, you can't get the exterior cameras to display on the big screen from the tablet. You need to walk up to the screen and navigate to the cameras manually. You also can't use the tablet for anything else like maps or browsing the entertainment while the exterior cameras are showing on the big monitor.

There is so much more you can do with this tablet including adjusting all the lighting and the temperature in your suite. This is the level of custom that makes an experience truly next level when it works!

TOILETS

Although the toilets aren’t close to the spacious ones on an A380 - the First Class lavatories are still absolutely lovely. Fake marble countertops, a foot pedal for the trash, wet wipes, towels for drying your hands, and all types of amenities, some of which I know are extremely expensive, like the Augustine Bader.

CONCLUSION

My first impression when I got on the flight was that there was something that just felt a little off about the cabin and I realized very quickly what it was.

It felt like the seats had just sort of been plonked down there but they don't really belong there because if you looked at the ceiling and the way that things were designed with the pilot crew rest extending two-thirds of the way over the center seat, the curtain railings being a bit out of place.

Ultimately though, none of that was a big deal because the seat is absolutely incredible. It is definitely one of the best first-class seats I've ever seen and I've been lucky enough to try a few. Combined with the absolutely fantastic 10 out of 10 proactive, caring, loving service from the amazing crew who I just have to thank so much for such a lovely experience, and combining it with the amazing catering I had on this flight, adding in the fantastic amenities.

This was really one of the best flights of my life and I cannot believe I'm saying that about Lufthansa in 2025. So Lufthansa, hats off to you, you've done a great job, and I cannot wait to hopefully one day fly Lufthansa Allegris First Class again.

Lufthansa Allegris First Class Review (A350-900 Munich to Bangalore)